Reforging a Ronin
by Ashengrave
Summary: Keitaro suffers a beakdown and is once more sent flying. But after an old friend of the family helps tend his wounds things begin to change for our hapless hero.
1. Fear Revealed

I don't own a damn thing.

And thanks to SlippytheWeasel for proof reading and cleaning up the butchery that is my pre-writeing.

And yes I know this sounds like the start of a lot of other Fics but give it a go an let me know what you think.

Read, Review, and Enjoy.

Prologue: It was another typical fall day at the Hinata-sou…or so everyone thought: For today would be a day that marked a dramatic change in the lives of the girls there and especially in the life of their kanrinin, Keitaro Urashima.

Chapter 01

Keitaro was starting his day as usual by cleaning the hot spring; he had even gotten up earlier than Motoko in order to make necessary repairs (again) caused by one of his impromptu flights through the wooden call, courtesy of a Naru Air ticket last night. He wanted to finish cleaning before any of the other tenants could show up and accuse him of something perverted (again).

Even though he had placed a sign on the door announcing that he was currently in the hot springs cleaning, he knew in his bones that it would do little to dissuade any of his tenants that wanted to bathe in the hot springs. A deep, heartfelt sigh escaped his lips as he looked longingly at the hot springs. _(When was the last time I actually had a chance to relax in a hot spring?) _he wondered. The answer was depressing to say the least. _(Maybe if I tell all the girls I am going to use it after breakfast they will give me a chance.) _Keitaro laughed sadly at his own thoughts while trying to rub some of the tension from his aching back, "No, if I even mention an idea like that I'd be kissing the moon in short order." Looking up at the colorful autumn trees, he whispers "Damn, I just wish I could relax in it, even if only for a few minutes".

Leaning backwards to ease the tightness from his back, it seems to him that, as of late, the girls were hitting him a lot harder and a lot more often. Shrugging his weary shoulders, he heads over to begin repairs on the far wall. As luck (in his case, nearly always bad) would have it, his nightmare begins again.

Behind him, the door to the changing room slides open and someone steps out.

At the first sound of the door opening Keitaro froze, eyes closed, whispering a fervent prayer that it was just his imagination playing tricks on him.

Kitsune, the resident party-girl and trickster of Hinata-sou, notices Keitaro and smiles. Wearing only a towel, she makes her way over to where he is standing, thinking _(Perfect! Just the person Ah need to see for a deferment of my rent for a week, or two. This'll take just a second)_ 'heh heh' the Fox snickers, and then thinks, _(I feel kinda bad, it's like shooting four-eyed fish in a barrel, but Kei knows Ah'll pay him back.)_ She boldly saunters over to where Keitaro is standing, but stops short when she hears what he is desperately whispering to himself.

The cleaning broom dropped to the ground in front of him, Keitaro has his hands clasped tightly in front of his bowed head. "Kami, please! Not again! Not now! Please, please let it be my imagination. I don't think I can stand another beating." The kanrinin's body shudders as he senses someone standing behind him. In an even quieter voice, he continues "Please! What did I do to deserve this life? Kami, please just let it be a dream. Please Kami, it hurts so much! pleasepleaseplease"

_(Holy spit! What's wrong with Keitaro?)_ Kitsune thinks as she watches the man before her tremble in utter terror. Then it strikes her _(He knows if Naru or Motoko find him alone out here with any of us girls they will skip the trial and go straight to the punishment…Kami-sama! It looks like he is about to lose it!)_ In a rare moment of sympathy she reaches out to touch his shoulder as gently as she can to get his attention.

However, his reaction slams her to the core of her being.

At her touch, a terror-born scream erupts from Keitaro. As he collapses to the ground with his arms wrapped around his head, his tears flow down his face as he knows what is moments away from happening.

The Fox, her eyes now wide open, not knowing what else to do, kneels to try and comfort the obviously hysterical young man, smoothing his hair as she whispers gently to him, "Kei? It's me. Mitsune! It's ok, Ah'm not gonna hurt ya'll, sugar! It's ok."

This only serves to cause him to scream even more, since he has learned repeatedly over the last year that ANY contact with the girls, no matter how innocent, would most likely only lead to him being punished. His sobs tear at Kitsune's heart, forcing tears from her eyes.

"PLEASE PLEASE DON'T HURT ME I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING I SWEAR JUST PLEASE DON'T HURT ME!" he cries, his body rolling from side to side in anticipation of the pain he is sure is to follow. Unfortunately for the two of them, he isn't wrong.

The changing room door slams open and the rest of the Hinata girls rush into the hot springs area.

Seeing Keitaro too close to the towel-wrapped Kitsune, and the fact that they are in the hot springs alone, is all the evidence Naru and Motoko need.

"**Damn it Keitaro, you PERVERT!" **Naru screams while kicking the prone man in the ribs, sending him flying. He slams into a tree and bounces back at the honey-haired girl, who promptly Naru-punches him straight at Motoko.

"**URASHIMA, YOUR PERVERTED DAYS ARE AT AN END! Shinmei-ryu no Zanganken! God's Cry Attack of The Stone Cleaving Sword!" **Motoko cries out as she unleashed a Ki attack at the man as Naru's punch lofts him into her range. Her blast sends him flying into the distance, disappearing in a twinkle against the dawn sky.

Kitsune can only stare in shock_, (He knew this was going to happen when he heard me come in, he knew that he wouldn't even have a chance to explain. Are we all really that bad?) _she bows her head, tears staining her cheeks._ ( He was really scared this time, and not just panicking!)_ These thoughts fly through her head one after the other. (_Kami, Ah hope he's alright, that was the worst Ah think Ah've seen them attack him!)_

"Why . . . why did ya'll attack him?" came Kitsune's weak question.

"What do you mean? That perverted, deceitful, vile male had snuck in here trying to slake his lust with the sight of your body, so we punished him." Motoko says as she sheaths her bokkan.

"Yeah, he never learns his lesson! I wish he would just stop pulling this crap all the time." said Naru, cracking her knuckles and looking at the other girls.

"How did you know we were in here?" Kitsune asks with a little more strength to her voice.

Su replies "We heards you screams real loud, so we cames to see what Keitaros had done this time."

"Aaauuuuu! Poor Sempai! I hope he's all right. I . . you hit him so hard I'm afraid he going to miss breakfast again." Shinobu quietly states, hiding behind Su.

Kitsune stands and looks at her friends for a few long moments. "Since when have Ah ever screamed when Keitaro had an accident around me?" she finally says as her anger begins to grow. _(That guy works his ass off around this place; He helps all of us with any problem that comes up; AND he puts up with having the hell beat out of him on nearly a daily basis. He deserves way better than how we have treated him)_ Kitsune thinks as she stares at the other tenants.

'You weren't screaming? Well, I guess it doesn't matter, since we got here just in time to . . .", Naru begins, but Kitsune cuts her off.

In a fury that the man who had just been sent flying had been so terrified at her touch and attempt to comfort him, the Fox squarely faces Naru and Motoko.

"Ah have never, ever screamed like that around him! Ah came in to bathe and to tease him about rent money again, so Ah ignored the sign on the door in the changing room.

"What sign?" is the weak reply from Naru, confused at seeing her best friend in such an angry state, especially for Keitaro's sake. _(Did . . did we? . . .)_ .

Kitsune sputters, "Oooh! Just shut up Naru! You always act before looking. Try opening your eyes for once! _(Like Ah had mine opened just now)_ she thinks as she slowly heads for her room, bathing forgotten for the day.

Taken aback, Naru does just that.

Pausing at the changing room door, she looks over her shoulder and says "When Ah came in, Kei was heading over toward that hole in the wall over there, the one he made last night when you two double-teamed him, again. When he heard me come in, do you know what he did? He froze! He froze and wasn't movin' at all! He was prayin' that he was imagining that he had heard someone come in, and he prayin' he wasn't gonna get hurt again."

Not so sure of her actions, Motoko steps towards Kitsune, with a quick backwards glance at Naru. "But, Urashima never shows any sign of injury, from even our most powerful attacks." Motoko says with a frown as Kitsune cuts her off

"Ya'll shut up, too, Ah ain't finished yet! That scream you heard was Keitaro!" The girls are visibly shaken at this revelation. "The poor guy was freaking completely out when Ah tried to comfort him! Do you hear what Ah'm saying? He lost it completely the second Ah touched him, like he knew what was going to happen! Then ya'll came in here, not caring what you found and BAM! You proved him right! And what's worse is that he really looked like he was afraid for his life this time. Now Ah've seen a lotta things, but the look on his face when Ah was trying to calm him. Kami, It was like Kei thought Ah was an Oni that had come for his soul."

Kitsune swallows back more tears "Ah don't think Ah ever wanna see that look in anyone's eyes ever again."

Naru and Motoko pale at these revelations. Su hugs the trembling Shinobu, the young cook shedding tears for her Sempai.

Trying to deny with words what her heart is screaming is truth, Naru meekly asks, "M-maybe you saw wrong?"

Slicing her hands down in front of her, Kitsune shakes her head. "No way Ah coulda mistook that." In a softer voice, she continues, "The look on that guy's face is gonna to haunt me for a long time." _(And Ah don't think saki is gonna do any good for the pain I feel now.)_

_(Can it be true, could Urashima really not be as invincible as we have all taken him to be?),_ Motoko thinks as she walks slowly back to the changing room door.

On the floor just inside, she sees a paper. Picking it up, she trembles as she turns it over. In her hands is a sign that reads 'Hot Springs Closed For Cleaning and Maintenance! Please Do Not Enter!'. As she looks off into the direction she had sent Keitaro flying, a chill starts to creep along her spine _(If he really isn't as invincible as we thought . . . how bad have we hurt him in the past . . . What if Kitsune is right, and we have damaged his psyche?)_ These uncomfortable thoughts run circles in the sword maiden's mind, deepening the chill that had settled in her stomach.

Naru on the other hand was desperately trying to convince herself that she was having none of it.

"Please Kitsune, he's a pervert! He's probably just trying a new way to get out of being punished for his lecherous ways." She says firmly, although her words at odds with the uncomfortable feeling in the pit of her stomach.

Shinobu, watching all this from the door to the changing room with tears in her eyes, looks at Kitsune. "I hope Sempai is okay. I know he's tough but he's not immortal, and they hit him so hard. Why do Naru and Motoko have to be so mean to him? He cares for us and does everything we ask and more and he never complains." she says meekly.

Su being her usual self was bouncing around oblivious to the serious nature of the discussion. Until she hears Shinobu's soft statement. She stops next to the young cook and looks into the sky "You guys really launched big brother hard this time. I hope he comes back soon to forgive us." Su says, her voice losing its strange accent as she seriously contemplates the effects all of their actions have had on her friend and playmate.

This comment only serves to make Motoko squirm a bit more in her own budding guilt.

As she goes through the door, Kitsune looks to where Keitaro had disappeared in the distance and whispers with more than a little worry, "Please Keitaro, be safe!" and with a growing sense of dread she and the others head back into Hinata-sou.

Naru, the last to enter the inn, turns one last time. "I'm sorry" she whispers, nearly so quiet that she can't hear herself. Bowing her head, she closes the door behind her.

End Chapter 01


	2. Bandages and Beer

Well this time it looks like i do own something just not Love Hina that last I looked still belongs to Mr. Ken.

I am working on the next chapter already but I am struggling with some timeline issues since I am brain dead between working full-time, college and raiseing a two year old but I think I may have something pretty soon.

To quash any ideas in anyones head after this chapter this is not and WILL NOT be a yaoi fic so please dont even go there as for the ultimate pairing I have not decided but I am open to suggestions so fire away it can only give me more ideas about the direction to take this story.

Once more thanks to Slippytheweasel for proof reading if anyone else want to help in a similar fashion message me and I will get back to you.

Now on with the show.

Chapter 2 Bandages and Beer

_(Please Kami, let me die)_

There is so much pain, more pain than he had ever felt in his life, more pain than he thought was possible.

_(Please Kami, let me die)_

Were Keitaro's last thoughts as he fades into darkness.

The landing was not pretty. When he hit, he slammed into the top of a dumpster with bone shattering force and rolled off into the gutter in an alley whose contents were better left unmentioned. Suffice is to say a drunken sailor would be hard pressed to keep from throwing-up in such an alley.

And this is how Keitaro awoke. His first terror-filled thoughts are that Naru and Motoko are not finished with him. Looking around a bit, he realizes that he is alone and is safe from those two, at least for the moment.

Gently leaning back against the brick wall Keitaro starts to take an inventory of the damage from his latest beating.

"Aggghhh" he grimaces painfully as he mutters to himself, "it hurts so much, I think my whole right side is busted this time, breathing hurts so much I must have some cracked ribs and something definitely feels torn inside. I just hope whatever it is, isn't too bad" The young man goes silent as he thinks _(Ah, who am I kidding? I just want it to all go away, the pain, the fear, the never knowing of what will happen next if I screw up and see one of the girls when I'm not supposed to. Like that'll ever happen! NO ONE listens to or believes me when I try to apologize. I'm just so tired of it all.)_

A sudden exclamation from his right causes him to turn his head sharply to see who had made the sound.

Big mistake

As soon as he turns, his head begins to throb and spin. This in turn made him retch, further hurting his already damaged ribs. Collapsing the rest of the way to the filthy ground, he begins to black out again, but somehow manages to retain a semblance of consciousness.

"HEY BOSS GET OUT HERE, QUICK! THERES A GUY OUT HERE THAT LOOKS LIKE HE'S NEARLY DEAD."

Keitaro notices when his eyes stop swimming that he is laying in his own vomit but the most disturbing thing is that, mixed in with his vomit was a lot of blood. His blood.

_(OH SHIT I'm gonna die)_ Keitaro thinks in a near panic until a thought strikes him _(If I die then I won't have to feel like this anymore; I'll never be scared and I'll never be hurt again.)_ Then he thinks about how much it would hurt the girls at Hinata-sou if he died _(Yeah right. They probably would not care at all…hell, they might even have a big party once I'm dead . . . No! They do care . . . . .don't they?)_

These thoughts are interrupted as a man kneels over him and begins examining his various injuries. The first thing Keitaro notices about the man is that he's a foreigner. The second thing he notices is the man is FRIGGIN' HUGE, easily twice as broad and almost three times as heavy as Keitaro himself, and none of it looks like fat, though he seems to be about the same height as Keitaro. He has a cigarette in his mouth and is mumbling to himself in English.

Suddenly, in almost perfect Japanese he says, "Shin! Go clean the bar off and grab me some towels, then grab the black bag out of my office! AND RUN! This guy needs all the help he can get NOW."

That said, he turns his attention back to Keitaro and says, "Boy, I don't know what happened to you but you are one lucky S.O.B. to have survived! Now, I'm gonna take you inside and we'll getchya patched up in no time" He gently picks Keitaro up like most people would pick up a child and rushes him inside. There, he was laid out on the bar and the strange foreigner began to "patch him up" as he called it.

With swift, efficient motions, both Keitaro's shirt and pants are cut away and removed. While Shin holds him down, the big man easily popped his right shoulder back into its socket, eliciting a yelp of pain from the unfortunate patent. He re-sets the broken finger, almost causing Keitaro to black out, and then splints it for protection. His ribs are poked a bit and declared cracked instead of broken, then wrapped in several heavy gauze bandages.

Then to a still shocked Keitaro, the man starts working on a six inch long gash in his left thigh. He stares at it in morbid fascination as what smells like an antiseptic is sprayed on the wound, followed by some kind of pungent numbing agent

The next shock comes as the giant of a man begins to calmly and quickly stitch the wound up, all the while talking, telling jokes of the sickest or dirtiest nature, singing terribly and basically doing everything to take Keitaro's mind off of what was going on.

Finishing his quite professional treatment, he helps Keitaro sit-up and hands him a robe. After Keitaro gratefully covers himself up, the big man carries him over to a large comfortable chair, setting him gently in it before heading to the sink behind the bar and washing the blood from his hands.

When he comes back to Keitaro he has two cans of beer and bottle of pills in hand. He sits in the chair opposite Keitaro and hands him an open beer and two large, white pills.

"Uh, thank you but what are these." Keitaro asks, staring at the pills in his hand.

The big man grunts and says "Painkillers, kid."

Keitaro worriedly replies, "Umm, aren't you kinda NOT supposed to drink and take painkillers together?" he asks, holding the pills.

"Yeah, but if you can live through whatever it is you went through, this ain't gonna hurt ya. But it will take the edge off the pain a bit. And when you finally come the rest of the way out of shock, you're gonna need it! Believe me, I can see how bad ya got busted up" the big man says over his beer.

"You mean what I'm feeling is gonna get WORSE?" Keitaro almost shouts at the thought. He thought before he couldn't stand any more, and grimaces at the idea it could be worse.

"Easy there, easy! If you just listen and do as I say it won't get any worse and it will start to feel a whole lot better a whole lot sooner. Now just pop those pills and drink some beer then talk. Let's start with your name kid." he asks.

Gratefully placing the pills in his mouth, Keitaro downs them with a swig of the beer. He shudders at the bitterness of the medicine, and sits silently for a few moments. Finally, he answers "My name is Keitaro, Keitaro Urashima."

The big man's eyes open wider as he lowers his beer from his lips and leans forward. "Urashima? As in Hina and Haruka Urashima?"

Surprised, he replies "Yeah, they're my Granny and my cousin. How do you know them?"

The big man sits back, his placid expression back on his face. "Old story, long story. Never mind that right now. Just explain to me how a young man such as yourself finds himself nearly at death's door on the back steps of my business."

Keitaro, the throbbing in his head starting to ease, sighs. "Oh, uh, well it's kind of a long story really . . ."

"I don't open until 2000 and its only 0630 right now, so we got plenty of time, and I got PLENTY of beer, so just start at the beginning and if the story is good enough I will call us even for patchin ya back together." _(As if I could get away with charging an Urashima for services rendered.)_ he thinks with a slight smile as he drinks his beer.

"Twenty-hundred? Oh six thirty?" Keitaro asks, a confused look on his face.

"Oops, sorry kid. That's military-speak for eight o'clock tonight, the 'twenty hundred'. You know, 20 hours outta 24? Two Zero Zero Zero? Twenty hundred."

Keitaro nods, not quite sure if he gets it, and replying, "Ah, I get it. I think. So oh six thirty is . . ." Keitaro mentally ticks off in his head "six-thirty in the morning?" He looks up at the clock, which shows just past 6:30.

The big man smiles as he notes the mental hoops Keitaro jumped through to figure that out. "Smart kid. So, about that background?" the man waves his hand at Keitaro to continue.

"Well, OK, but just so you know this isn't gonna be a Disney home classic."

"I got time. Shoot."

Three hours, dozens of pauses for questions and clarifications, and a couple of six-packs later, Keitaro finishes his story.

". . . and that's how I wound up back there." Keitaro says, pointing over his shoulder at the bar with a slight slur in his voice.

"Fuck Me Running! Son you have got to be either the world's biggest saint, or a fucking masochist to keep going back to that place! If it was me, most of those girls would have been out on their asses so fast the cops would've given 'em speeding tickets."

"Hey they're my tenants and I gos . . gos . . gots to look out for'em . . ." Keitaro scratches his head. You know, I just realized. I never did ashk your name.

"Hmm? Oh, my name. It's Rayn McInally but you can just call me Rayn, or Doc if ya like."

"Doc?"

"Yeah, I was a corpsman with a marine recon group when I was in the service."

"Oh, so thatsh how you knew how ta patch me up."

"Ya, and I must say, Keitaro, I haven't seen injuries like the ones you had in quite a while . . well its getting late in the day and you need some sleep, especially if you plan on going back to the lion's den. Come on, I got an extra bed you can use for a few hours."

"Oh, thanks, Doc, but I-I-I need to get back to Hinata-sou, I've got lots a work to do."

"Son, you're not in any condition to go anywhere except to bed. Don't worry, you ought to be able to make it back before it gets too late, but for right now, you need rest, so come on, up ya go." he says as he helps Keitaro to his feet and then almost carries him into the back and up a narrow flight of stairs.

As soon as Keitaro entered the apartment that was above the bar he noticed it was decorated in an odd mix of eastern and western design which somehow came off as comfortable with its in between look. Rayn led him to a room which was a bit of a surprise, having a queen size bed and large picture window. The blinds were drawn and Keitaro could just tell that the room had a green forest like motif in the darkness.

"The bathroom is down the hall on the left and I am around the corner on the right. If ya need me just holler and I'll come runnin. Get some rest I'll wake ya up after while."

"Thanks, Rayn! I really thought I was gonna die out there."

"Don't worry about it, now get some rest."

"Good night."

"You mean, 'Good Day'. Haha."

"Yeah, I guess you're right."

Rayn left but did not head straight to his room. Instead he stepped out onto the balcony and lit a Camel with his trusty old zippo. While he was doing this he pulled a cell phone out of his pocket and quickly punched in a number.

He took a drag while it rang and waited for the line to pick-up

"Hey! How's it going?" he asked in a cheerful voice.

The woman on the other end groaned "Do you have any idea what time it is?"

"Oh don't give me that crap, you and I both know you sleep with one eye and both ears open." Rayn smiles as he pokes fun at the voice.

"Can you see this? In case you can't, I'm giving ya a one-fingered salute, you young jerk! Its nearly two o'clock in the damned morning!"

"Hey now no need to get offensive!" he says with a smirk in his voice.

The voice sighs. "Why are you calling me right now, it's not like you. Something going on?"

"Got it in one. Never could pull the wool over your eyes, ya old coot. I got something you might have an interest in."

"Oh? And what could I have more interest in than my pillow, or maybe kicking your backside for calling me old?"

Rayn laughs and says, "You're still an old coot, ya old coot. Anyways, I gotta boy in the spare room right now that looks like he was beaten with a baseball bat and then dropped off a cliff . He's crashed in my bed for the moment."

Sarcastically, the voice replies, "Really? I never knew you swung that way."

_(Oh this is gonna be good)_ he thought as he savored another drag of his cancer stick.

"Well, I found him out back o' my place, for all intents and purposes half-dead in the gutter. So, I decided to play with the puzzle and piece him back together. And you know what, we got to talkin' and he has the most interesting story . . ." in a much more serious tone "and from the looks of things the boy has been in this shape before."

"I assume you are getting to some point, Rayn?" the voice says, its curiosity piqued.

"His name's Keitaro."

". . . WHAT THE? Rayn, now that I'm wide-awake, you'd better not be pulling these old legs or so help me, I'll cut my trip short and personally teach you just what I think of that kind of humor!"

"It ain't a joke. After I found out who he is, I was shocked myself. Now, would you mind telling me how come that boy ain't been trained yet? I could feel his ki as soon as he landed and it scared the shit right outta me. I thought for a second you had shown up on my doorstep til I sensed the pain. While I was workin' on him. I checked him out good physically. I figure he can take nearly anything that's thrown at him. He thought he was gonna die today, and I let him think that, but he woulda pulled through in a few hours on his own without my help, but" and here Rayn pauses, not pleased to pass on the next bit of information ". . . you ain't gonna like it, but mentally, his spirit is just about broken to where he may never fully recover from it."

The sounds of things being thrown around and broken are very prevalent on the other end of the line, and the associated language is the sort that would turn a hardened sailor ten shades of red. Which it did.

Smiling while nervously scratching the back of his head in a mannerism similar to Keitaro, Rayn asks, "So, I guess I'll see you in a couple of days?"

. sigh . "No I'm in the middle of the jungle in South America . . . I and have a feeling that if I were to show up right now, I might do something to some of those 'friends' of his we would all regret."

A moment of silence. "I want you keep an eye on that boy. If ANY of those girls puts him though it this bad again, I want you to educate them, politely but firmly, on how it would not be wise." A snicker "Tell them I said so, that should make them think twice, although if I know my girls, it won't stop them completely. But, it will give Kei some breathing room."

Another pause as the voice comes to a decision. "As for his training . . . he was taught a few of the more basic tenets of the Urashima style as a child, but the Master disappeared as you well know, and his father is, at best, inept when it comes to our style . . . would you be willing to resume his training until I get back?"

Sigh. "Alright, you old biddy, but just remember, this goes toward paying ya back for all I owe ya, understood?"

End Chapter 2


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